What's In A Name?

Choosing a Hebrew name for a baby is a serious responsibility as it charts a course for the body and soul of the individual and may well determine his or her future.

I had already performed the circumcision, bris milah, on the eight-day-old infant; the prayers entering the child into the Covenant of Abraham had been recited and now the long-anticipated moment had arrived -- the name of the new infant was about to be announced.

The assembled guests eagerly anticipated the exciting news. Traditionally, a baby boy's Hebrew name is not revealed to anyone before the bris other than those involved in choosing it. And likewise, a baby girl's Hebrew name is not revealed until she is named in synagogue during the reading of the Torah.

Would the baby boy at this particular bris be named for a late uncle? For a beloved cousin who recently passed away? Or perhaps for a distinguished rabbi? Maybe he would be given a name his parents chose merely because they liked it.

A MOST IMPORTANT CHOICE

Naming a child is one of the most important decisions new parents make. The Talmud (Berachot 7b) teaches that a Hebrew name has an influence on its bearer. Hence, it is extremely important to name your children after individuals with positive character traits who have led fortunate lives and have helped bring goodness to the world.

The legendary Kabbalist, the Ari, writes that the nature and behavior of a person, whether good or bad, can be discovered by analyzing his or her name. For example, a child named Yehudah could possibly be destined for leadership, for Yehudah, the fourth son of Jacob, symbolized monarchy and indeed, most Jewish kings descended from the tribe of Yehudah.

It is said that parents are actually blessed with prophesy when naming their newborn babies so that they will choose names which aptly describe their children's personas and their destinies in life.

It is said that parents are actually blessed with prophesy when naming their newborn babies.

According to the Ari, even the numerical value of the Hebrew letters in one's name can be indicative of an individual's character. For example, the numerical value, or gematria, of the name Elisheva is equivalent to the numerical value of the Hebrew words yemei simcha, meaning "days of happiness," perhaps portending a joyous life for a baby girl named Elisheva.

It is precisely because the fortunes and misfortunes of mankind are concealed in the secrets of the letters, vowels and meanings of Hebrew names that a seriously ill person is given an additional name like Chaim, meaning "life," or Rafael, meaning "God heals," in order to influence his destiny. We hope and pray that the new name will herald a new mazel, or fortune, for the stricken individual.

One of the founders of Chassidut in Galicia, Poland, Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhansk, writes in his classic work on Torah "Noam Elimelech" (Bamidbar) that there is a profound connection between the soul of an infant and the soul of the person for whom he or she is named.

When a child is named after the deceased, the latter's soul is elevated to a higher realm in heaven and a spiritual affinity is created between the soul of the departed and the soul of the newborn child. That deep spiritual bond between these two souls can have a profound impact on the child.

The Hebrew word for soul -- neshama -- is spelled with the four Hebrew letters nun, shin, mem and hei. Remarkably, the Hebrew word for name, shem -- spelled shin, mem -- is contained within the word neshama, indicating yet again the strong connection between one's name and one's soul, or essence.

A NAME TO BE PROUD OF

Back at the bris. The young father was now huddled next to his own father -- the baby's grandfather -- who was being honored with the recitation of the naming prayer. Holding a goblet filled with wine, the grandfather intoned, "Our God and God of our forefathers, preserve this child for his father and mother, and may his name be called in Israel." The grandfather waited for his son to whisper the name in his ear so that he could proudly announce it.

The grandfather gasped as tears welled in his eyes; his voice choked as his lips quivered with emotion.

"Yoel" whispered the father. The grandfather gasped as tears suddenly welled in his eyes. His voice choked as his lips quivered with emotion. His new grandson was being named for his own father -- the baby's great grandfather. Tears also welled in the eyes of all the guests who remembered Yoel Pfeiffer.

In the late 1930s, he was forced to escape from Germany the night after he got married. He made it to England but upon arrival there he was imprisoned as a suspected spy. He remained on British soil throughout the war until he was able at last to immigrate to Canada where he was reunited with his wife.

The late Yoel Pfeiffer began his life anew in Montreal. With almost nothing but perseverance, he built a family, a business and a legacy of charitable deeds. At the festive meal following the bris, the young father recalled the fondness he had for his grandfather and explained how he and his wife wished to honor him and how they hoped to confer his strength of character to their new son, Yoel Pfeiffer.

As a Mohel, one trained to perform Jewish ritual circumcision, I am often involved in helping families choose appropriate Hebrew names for their children. My advice is based on three principles:

use the exact Hebrew name of the person you wish to honor or at least a name that has a number of the same letters contained in his or her Hebrew name;

be sure your child's name contains only positive connotations, and

use a name your child will be proud of; remember, your child's name is his eternal identity.

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn is a fifth generation Mohel in New York. He has authored "Bris Milah" and a series of five "MAGGID" books, collections of inspirational Jewish short stories and parables. He can be reached at (718) 846-6900 or via e-mail at krohnmohel@aol.com.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 9

(9)
meyre,
January 15, 2007 4:31 AM

well

like this site keep it up

(8)
wayne,
June 16, 2006 12:00 AM

i want to change my name to "son of abraham according to the covenant".

he is a jew who is one inwardly.

(7)
Lenn Zonder (Leizer Beryl),
November 14, 2004 12:00 AM

Naming my daughter

I always enjoy telling the story of how my daughter received her English name.
There was no question, before she was born that her Hebrew name would be Chaya P'nina, after her maternal grandfather and uncle. But we struggled picking out her English name.
One night, my wife handed me a list of names that were acceptable to her, in English. It must have contained 40 or more names, but two names, Karen and Amy, followed one another.
That's it, I said. The perfect Hebrew name in English. Keren Ami, one of the four cornerstones of our people.
In truth, we Anglicized it, but I am confident that it imbued her with compassion for others, the personification of Keren Ami.
Incidently, she was also born Erev Rosh Hashana.

(6)
Rachel,
April 27, 2003 12:00 AM

I Finally Figured It Out

Our oldest boy was named Yosef Ariel, and he lived up to the name Ariel in his babyhood. He roared a lot and kept me really busy until he grew up to be a mentsch. The next son was named Eliezer Menachem, and he was the happiest baby, a real comfort to our family after the loss of the zaida for whom he was named. By the time I was pregnant with the third boy, I figured out that there was a connection between the name and the personality. So I deliberately picked the name Noah Yaron, because I wanted a peaceful and content baby with a pleasant disposition. Bli Eyin Hara, our Noah at 13 and a half still has a lovely disposition, very sweet tempered, and happy to do things when I ask him. I would advise parents to make sure the name doesn't mean volcanic, angry, mercurial, foolish, or anything else you may not want to have in a child.

(5)
ronit weissberg,
February 6, 2002 12:00 AM

jews

because of this web page I am going to become a jew... thank you so much for teaching me that because I am an Athiast for finally getting a religion!

(4)
Leora Rosner,
September 16, 2001 12:00 AM

We had 2 names for our daughter and only at birth upon seeing her did we decide which would be her first name, the other name was to be her middle name: Shai (gift) Audra (noble strength). Fact is, I knew it would be Shai and she is a gift!

(3)
Rafael Ali Samat,
June 23, 2001 12:00 AM

We are the same

I am a Muslim a Sporean Muslim I originate from Java,Indonesia....I am happy and joyed at u explanation of Rafael in Hebrew means God heals...as a though a Muslim I shared the joy of the name May,Muslim I hope the name signify fortune as the meanining...thanxs.

(2)
Anonymous,
April 6, 2001 12:00 AM

Excellent piece of work!!!

(1)
Nick Asher,
March 13, 2001 12:00 AM

Subject naming of infants

Very informative, I did not know naming of an infant had so much significance
as you stated. It's always pleasing to learn something important.

I was born with a neuromuscular disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy and have been confined to a wheelchair my entire life. Unfortunately my sister and I were raised without any religious instruction or guidance. My father wasn't Jewish and although my mother is, she openly claims to be an atheist. The "good news" is that both my sister and myself - independent of each other and at different times in our lives - realized that we are Jewish and chose to live a Jewish life.

Because of my disability, I'm not always able to attend services on Shabbat, but I always light candles, pray from a Siddur and read the weekly Torah portion. I would like to know whether, considering my situation, if using a computer is allowed during the Sabbath? I found the complete Bible online and since my computer is voice-activated I don't have to struggle to turn pages or continuously ask for assistance.

Thank you to everyone at Aish.com for making it possible for myself and so many others to learn about being Jewish and grow in the most important part of our lives.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Thank you so much for your encouraging words and for sharing your inspiring story.

God gives each of us a set of challenges. To those more capable of conquering difficulties, He gave bigger challenges. A challenge from God is a sign that He cares about us and has confidence in our ability to become great.

It sounds like you're doing great!

As for using the computer on Shabbat, that is prohibited. A foundation of Judaism is that we need to respect God's wishes, even if we think that doing otherwise is "for a good reason." Consider this story:

A king calls in his trusted minister and says: "I have an important mission for you to perform. Go to the neighboring kingdom and meet in the palace with their leaders. But remember one thing - under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during this meeting. Now go and do as I say."

The minister sets off on his merry way and soon arrives at the neighboring kingdom. There he heads straight for the palace where he meets with the King. In the midst of their discussion, he sees some of the king's officers pointing and laughing at him.

"Why are you laughing?" asks the visiting minister.

"Because we've never seen someone with such a pronounced hunchback as yourself," they say.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a hunchback!"

"Of course you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"We'll bet you one million dollars that you are!"

"Fine - I'll gladly take your bet."

"Okay, so take off your shirt and prove it."

At which point the minister remembers the parting words of the king... "under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during the meeting." Yet, the minister reasons, a million dollars would certainly bring added wealth to the king's coffers. I know I'm not a hunchback, so I'll surely win the bet. Of course, under these circumstances the king would approve...

The minister removes his shirt and proudly displays his perfect posture. With pride in his achievement, he holds out his hand, into which is placed a check for one million dollars.

The minister can barely contain his excitement. He quickly ends the meeting and runs back to give the wonderful news to his king. "I earned you a million dollars!" exclaims the minister. "It was easy. I only had to remove my shirt to prove that I wasn't a hunchback."

"You did what?!" shouts the king. "But I told you specifically not to remove your shirt. I trusted that you'd follow instructions, and so I bet the other king $10 million dollars that he couldn't get you to remove your shirt!"

The Torah tells us "Do not add or subtract from the mitzvahs." (Deut. 4:2) Jewish law is a precise metaphysical science. Consider a great work of art. Would you consider adding a few notes to a Bach fugue, or some brushstrokes to a Rembrandt portrait?!

Perfection, by definition, cannot be improved upon. Altering Torah law is an unacceptable implication that God is lacking.

The verse in Psalms 19:8 declares: "Torat Hashem Temimah" - the Torah of God is complete. For just as adding one wire to a transistor radio means it no longer can pick up reception, so too we mustn't tinker with Jewish law. The mitzvahs of God are perfect.

May the Almighty give you strength to continue your growth in Judaism.

In 1315, King Louis X of France called back the Jews who had been expelled a few decades earlier by King Louis IX. This marked a theme in Jewish-French life: expulsions and subsequent invitations to return. The French monarchy was trying to establish their land as the "new Jerusalem," and to fulfill this mission attempted several crusades to Israel. In 1615, King Louis XIII ordered that Christians were forbidden to speak with Jews, upon penalty of death. Eventually, in 1683, King Louis XIV expelled the Jews from the colony of Martinique.

Focus on what you do want. Make your goal explicit. “My goal is to increase my moments of joy.” This way, every single moment of joy is a successful moment.

Celebrate each moment of joy. Be grateful every time you experience joy.

Having this goal will place your attention on joy. Instead of feeling bad when you are not joyful, you will experience positive feelings about experiencing more joy.

Each moment of joy in your entire life is experienced one moment at a time. You can’t have more than one moment of joy in any given moment, but you can increase the number of joyful moments. How? By focusing on it.

There is no person on earth so righteous, who does only good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

Reading the suggestions for ridding oneself of character defects, someone might say, "These are all very helpful for someone who has character defects, but I do not see anything about myself that is defective."

In the above-cited verse, Solomon states what we should all know: no one is perfect. People who cannot easily find imperfections within themselves must have a perception so grossly distorted that they may not even be aware of major defects. By analogy, if a person cannot hear anything, it is not that the whole world has become absolutely silent, but that he or she has lost all sense of hearing and may thus not be able to hear even the loudest thunder.

In his monumental work, Duties of the Heart, Rabbeinu Bachaye quotes a wise man who told his disciples, "If you do not find defects within yourself, I am afraid you have the greatest defect of all: vanity." In other words, people who see everything from an "I am great/right" perspective will of course believe that they do no wrong.

When people can see no faults in themselves, it is generally because they feel so inadequate that the awareness of any personal defects would be devastating. Ironically, vanity is a defense against low self-esteem. If we accept ourselves as fallible human beings and also have a sense of self-worth, we can become even better than we are.

Today I shall...

be aware that if I do not find things within myself to correct, it may be because I am threatened by such discoveries.

With stories and insights,
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